Dulce de leche walnut cake, manjar walnut cake

A classic cake from Chile, were you can buy it everywhere. We call the dulce de leche "manjar" it translate as delicacy, pretty much everybody in Chile is a die hard of the flavor. Many of us grew up eating it as a sandwich, very much like peanut butter and jelly we ate ours manjar cheese. And this cake is one of the best sellers at bakeries.


Dulce de leche walnut cake
20 people-25 cm in diameter
Ingredients:
for walnut cake,
180 grams of roasted nuts in the skillet over medium heat, about 8 minutes
85 grams of granulated sugar
30 grams all purpose flour (if you have bread flour use it)
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
30 grams of granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
30 grams butter, melted and hot


Preheat oven to 200C or 400F. Prepare 3 round cake pan 9 "or 23cm in diameter, cover the bottom with a circle of silicone paper. In food processor finely grind the nuts and the 85 grams of granulated sugar. Mix with the flour in a large bowl and stir. 
Working with a standmixer or hand blender incorporate to the flour mixture the eggs beating on low speed one at a time, add the yolk, once incorporated beat on medium speed until mixture looks smooth and light. In another bowl very clean make a meringue: Beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Add a pinch of salt and vanilla, beating on low speed now add 30 grams of granulated sugar slowly as a stream. Then beat on high speed until a firm, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes.
Carefully add the meringue  to the nuts batter, 1/3 first and then the rest of the meringue. Divide into 3 molds of 23 cm in diameter, weigh to make sure to put the same amount of batter (about 210 grams each). 
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are brown and dry to the touch.

for the sweet syrup to moisten the cake,
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar


In a small saucepan heat water and sugar over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolved. Allow to cool.

to assemble the cake,
3 walnut cake
syrup
1 1/2 kilo of dulce de leche (3 cans of manjar La Lechera) warmed in the microwave to make it easier to spread, pour each jar in a bowl and heat about 30-45 seconds, stir well
2 cups chopped walnuts for garnish and sprinkle toasted


Unmold the cakes, reserving the most beautiful and smooth for the last layer. Place the first cake layer and sprinkle with 1/3 sweet syrup, cover with a layer of warm dulce de leche and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Repeat with the next layer, ending with a layer of cake, moisten with the remaining third of syrup and cover the entire cake with dulce de leche, sprinkle with nuts if desired. Let stand overnight.